Oh, so this was the point?

I'm a Blues beginner. Been running scales in all positions for a while, and trying to find notes that sounded good to bend and play around with. Did the Sandercoe blues series, am halfway through a couple of Truefire beginning videos, but haven't been able to find anything I could actually feel. I keep reading (and hearing, on instructional videos and from old guitar-playing pals) that the best thing is to just flat-out listen and steal. So I am.

I like a bunch of SRV blues stuff, so I just picked one-- "Texas Flood"-- and am taking the tablature and matching it to the actual recording (changing the tuning to a whole step higher, since bending notes low on E-standard is harder than *&$%! E-flat). I already have the first four bars down pat and up to speed, and it only took an hour of just taking it easy, one damn note (or triad) at a time. I think I could actually do it without the tab, now that I understand what he was doing.

It sure beats the heck out of theory and scales and modes, though all that stuff helps to hear what's going on, I guess.

Finally, this is becoming less of a chore and more of a joy. Gee-tar soundin' good!

I'm a fairly serious classical pianist, so I figured I'd pick up something as simple and "primitive" as blues guitar in no time. Huh-uh. This stuff is hard! But I love it.

I've been learning to play guitar for about 47 years now, and if there's a trick to it, it's reaching the point where it becomes "less of a chore and more of a joy" and realizing that you "love it." It sounds like you've arrived, Andy, so congrats.

Once that point is reached, everything else will fall in place in it's own time.

For me, the only point in playing is the fun of it.

Ha, yeah I know what you mean

I've been playing for about 40 years, but I feel more like it's 1 year, 40 times over

Cheers,
Doug

Ha, yeah I know what you mean

I've been playing for about 40 years, but I feel more like it's 1 year, 40 times over

Cheers,
Doug

I've only got 30, but you've described it exactly. :smile:

I've been learning to play guitar for about 47 years now, and if there's a trick to it, it's reaching the point where it becomes "less of a chore and more of a joy" and realizing that you "love it." It sounds like you've arrived, Andy, so congrats.

Once that point is reached, everything else will fall in place in it's own time.

For me, the only point in playing is the fun of it.

The actual playing of an actual tune means a lot. Now I understand why my early piano teachers insisted on learning simple little ditties and focused on finer points later. I thought I could outsmart the system by getting all the basics down first, when I should have been having a little fun as I went along.